Apple will investigate the cause of a Chinese woman's death, the company confirmed to Reuters on Monday.

Last week, Ma Ailun, a 23-year-old woman from China's Xinjiang region, was allegedly electrocuted when she answered a call on her iPhone 5 while it was charging, according to the China-based Xinhua news agency.

In an e-mailed statement to Reuters on Monday, an Apple spokesperson said the company is "deeply saddened to learn of this tragic incident and offer our condolences to the Ma family." Apple "will fully investigate and cooperate with authorities in this matter," the company told Reuters.

Reports of malfunctioning smartphones have cropped up from time to time. Occasionally, people will post pictures of a burnt smartphone or burns they got when handling a device. In some cases, however, the reason for the problem is not the device itself.

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Don Reisinger is a technology columnist who has covered everything from HDTVs to computers to Flowbee Haircut Systems. Besides his work with CNET, Don's work has been featured in a variety of other publications including PC World and a host of Ziff-Davis publications.
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